This week’s crowdfunding picks include two projects by women determined to make a difference. “Tangerine Juice Fund” is the financing section of “Tangerine Entertainment,” a female-driven, independent production company set up by media professionals Amy Hobby and Anne Hubbell with the aim of creating a community network of female filmmakers and advancing steps to get their work made. BanterGirl, founded by feminist crusader Trish Nelson, is a non-profit org that helps raise funds for women’s projects, specifically within comedy and comedic films.

Also part of our crowdfunding picks this week are “Zula the Infinite” — a short fiction film set in millennial Nevada that follows the exploits of Zula, an 18 year old who regularly steals mail from her local post office in an attempt to escape the reality of living in a sleepy desert town — and “Inner Me” — a documentary about the stoic resilience of four deaf women living in the war-torn landscape of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. All of the following projects focus on the strong spirit of women across the world and sheds light on the hard work and complex lives that all-too-often go unnoticed.

Here are the women-centric projects that you can help fund this festive month.

Inner Me“Inner Me” is a feature-length documentary that follows the interwoven lives of four women — Immaculée, Jemima, Sylvie and Stuka — living in the war-torn landscape and political hostility of the Congo. Citizens of a country where women’s voices are rarely heard and their human rights perpetually ignored, these four women also live with being deaf. On the theme of the film, director Antonio Spano explains, “‘Inner Me’ is our inner voice. That voice that is so clear within us, but that we all have had difficulties revealing to the world. Communication and relationships are primal necessities for all of us. Deaf people are the example of the effort it takes to communicate our ‘Inner Me.'” The documentary discusses the barriers that are the inability of these women to hear and the physical and social restrictions put on women throughout the country. However, rather than focusing on the suffocating effects of their surroundings, the film instead captures the unwavering strength of each woman. As succinctly noted on the film’s crowdfunding page, “Through their eyes and intimate reflections, the women share their powerful stories of struggle and survival, revealing the beautiful resilience of the human spirit.”

You can donate to the post-production of “Inner Me” on the film’s Kickstarter page, until December 22.

“Zula the Infinite” is a short film by filmmaker Jillian Dudley, who’s also the founder and producer of Perpetual Productions — a production company that functions as a small collective of collaborating filmmakers, musicians and designers. The film tells the story of 18-year-old Zula (Valentina Matosian) — an imaginative yet agitated small-town girl who uses stolen mail as a mechanism to escape her mundane reality and retreat into the lives of others. The film explores the adventures that emerge out of Zula’s craving for a more colorful life and the lure of a mysterious woman (Stefanie Butler), whose enigmatic presence is all-too-tempting to resist. Set against the expansive, desert background of millennial Nevada, “Zula the Infinite” has a sugary charm that recalls the changing trends and “mash-up” fashion of early 2000s America. Dudley explains, “We all remember those strange years when we started adapting to ‘the ways of the future’ — online instant messaging, boy bands with frosted tips.” She concludes, “Not only is this piece a fun way to tap into the nostalgia of our youth, but it is an exciting opportunity to evaluate the years that shaped the millennial generation.” With a fun and engaging female protagonist to take us back in time, we’re all for it.

You can help fund the production of “Zula the Infinite” on the film’s Kickstarter page, until December 26.

Tangerine Juice Fund – Founded by Amy Hobby and Anne Hubbell

Launched in 2013 with a view toward giving a voice to female filmmakers, Tangerine Entertainment is built on the foundations of its creators’ vast creative experience, strong friendship and intense research into the industry and its prevailing sexism. Their organization also serves to build a community of women working within the film business, establishing a supportive network for promising female filmmakers who find themselves persistently pushed out of the playing field. As such, the Tangerine Juice Fund is an extension of this initiative. The crowdfunding page asserts, “The Juice Fund also collaborates with film festivals, ensuring that more films by women will be programmed and available to varied audiences. Since the Juice Fund is created and sustained by donations, it is a meaningful way for the community to give back to the community.” Ultimately, Tangerine Entertainment advocates the notion that, with more women behind the camera, the better chance we have of getting to see more diverse and multifaceted film features on our screens. Now wouldn’t that be refreshing?

You can help fund the work of female filmmakers attached to this project here, until December 29.

BanterGirl – Founded by Trish Nelson

True to its name, BanterGirl is a non-profit funding platform founded by comedian and artist Trish Nelson with an objective to confront the absence of women within the arts, with a focus on — but not limited to — comedy. Much like Tangerine Entertainment, the project aims to provide a little financial help and industry guidance to up-and-coming female artists and comedians, so that their work may be seen on multiple, leading platforms. The project’s Seed and Spark page notes that BanterGirl will focus on highlighting diversity — giving a voice to women who find extra difficulty getting their talents recognized within the industry: “BanterGirl’s mission is to create shows with a strong female presence and to help female comedians and creators hone their skills.” And it’s not just giving financial help to aid production costs — Nelson created her non-profit so that female creators stand a better chance of getting their work produced, marketed and launched, too. BanterGirl notes that “providing a balanced and equal environment will allow female comedy creators and performers the chance to truly shine and grow their material.” We couldn’t agree more.

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